Toumen ni Genjitsu
by soraslover982
Summary: When truth becomes impeding reality, how can it be stopped? Based on the oneshot, "Ikenai Koto" by Nanao Mio, this story is an elaboration on Haruka and Yui's relationship as it expands on the idea of an older girl falling for her little brother's best friend. Told from Haruka's POV, the story exposes his mentality before and after the oneshot, and the truth behind his actions.
1. Prologue

_Hello all!_

_I have finally returned from the grave! I was busy with school (still am) but managed to make some time to create this short fanfic based on the one shot by Mio Nanao called "Ikenai Koto." If you haven't read it, the story will still make sense to you, however, it you wish to enjoy a good oneshot, I would advise that you take a few minutes to become familiar with the oneshot. It's enjoyable, at least for me it was. So much so that I decided to create a short fanfic. Although, it left me wanting more, I hope that I'm able to satisfy those that read the oneshot and wanted more._

_Alright, I'll leave you to reading. Remember to RxR please!_

_**SL**_

* * *

**Prologue**

At first, I thought of it as exposure.

While it could be confused as a cold, calculating game, exposing always lead to truth. In my short life, I was taught to be in the pursuit of truth constantly. My father was a lawyer and my mother was a doctor. Although, when they told me to find the truth behind the plentiful amount of questions I encountered in academia, I applied that philosophy in my everyday life. Without thinking about it, if something interested me, I'd search for ways of exposing the truth. There was no harm in learning and having fun while doing it. As the years went by, opportunities presented themselves, but were solved all too quickly. I hadn't found that puzzle that could keep me staring at it for hours on end until I could finally see the hidden image.

In actuality, I believed that I would never find it.

As I would later learn, Time would prove me wrong.

* * *

_Well, it's a short prologue but here it is. I hope you all stick around for the rest of the chapters!_

_**SL**_


	2. Initial Encounters

_A/N:_

_Here's the first chapter!_

_I hope it's to your liking. I realized as I was writing it how different the main characters personalities are. Oh well, that's for the best since a oneshot really can't delve too much into a single person. Hope you all like it. Please RxR!_

**_SL_**

* * *

**Chapter 1:**

**Initial Encounters**

Taiyou had already told me he had a sister before I went over to his house for the first time, so it wasn't too surprising to see her in her middle school uniform as I passed through the front door.

Taiyou introduced our mutual friend and I by name.

"Yui, this is Hiro Yamamoto and Haruka Roken. Tell Mom I'm home. And don't come into my room." He signaled for us to follow him upstairs.

"Don't call me without honorifics, Taiyou!" His sister called after him.

Despite not having any sisters of my own, I knew how to treat them from watching Father interact with Mother. Women appreciated men who were sensitive while still maintaining their masculinity. Although paradoxical, I believed a balance could be achieved however extraneous the effort might be. To be at peace with women, men had to learn to read the subtle signs they gave: signs of displeasure or perturbation, affection or interest. Every sign a woman sent was meant to be received and reciprocated adequately.

"Good afternoon, Yui-san. " I greeted with a smile. "Pardon the intrusion."

She turned around to acknowledge me.

I took Yui-san in her uniform, noticing how different her body looked in comparison to the girls in my class. She was two years older and her physical maturity outmatched us, twelve year olds, put together.

She frowned skeptically, not accustomed to cordiality coming from one of her brother's friends, I assumed.

"A-afternoon." She responded, turning a corner and disappeared from sight.

* * *

The next time we met was two weeks later on a Sunday, when Taiyou and I had to work on a project together. He invited me over to his house because he said he had the most supplies.

"Did you buy the glue?" I asked while arranging the letters on the cardboard poster.

Taiyou didn't answer.

I sighed, "You forgot, didn't you?"

"I got the letters." He insisted.

"Which we can't do anything with."

I stood up and walked to the door at the same time as Yui-san was putting on her white shoes, sitting on the floor. She was wearing a pink dress with small white dots that hugged her form, accentuating her forming curves and bosom.

"Morning, Yui-san."

She looked up, her shoulder-length hair parting to the side of her face to reveal her brown eyes outlined with make up.

"Where are you going?" She asked, absentmindedly ignoring my greeting. "I thought you guys were working on a project together."

"He forgot to buy glue. I'm going for some." I responded.

Yui-san stood up and brushed the back of her dress, "Well, good luck with that—"

"Yui!" A voice called from the kitchen.

Taiyou's mother came out wearing an apron. She noticed me and smiled.

"Glad to see you again, Haruka. How's the project going?"

I reiterated that I needed to buy glue.

"Oh, that's perfect." Mrs. Mori said, "Yui, you and Haruka can go together to the Family Mart and buy me the ingredients I'm missing on this list," She handed Yui a piece of paper, "and he can buy the glue."

Yui-san sighed, "But Mom, I already told you I was meeting up with my friends. I was leaving just now."

Mrs. Mori shook her head, "Sweetie, don't argue with me. Just go and come back. It won't take you that long. The convenience store is at the end of the block."

"I can buy both things if you would like me to, Mrs. Mori." I offered. "I was on my way there anyway."

Mrs. Mori smiled, "How sweet of you, Haruka. No, that's all right. Yui will bring the ingredients and you will buy your glue. She can meet with her friends after that."

Yui-san rolled her eyes with scoff, taking the paper from her mother's hand and opened the door, leaving me behind.

I caught up to her pace, slipping on my shoes quickly, walking beside her in silence.

"Where were you going to meet them?" I started after a few minutes.

The end of the block didn't come as quickly as Mrs. Mori made it seem. The walk would take a total of twenty minutes, that's excluding the amount of time it would take to buy the ingredients on her list. Yui was most likely going to be late to her meeting.

"What?"

"Your friends." I clarified.

"Oh, we were going to go karaoke and then eat at McDonald's. They wanted to go window-shopping, too. Although, I don't really care about that."

"So, Shibuya." I concluded.

"Yeah," She ran a hand through her hair in exasperation, "I still need to walk to the train station then get on the train, and after that I need to find the specific karaoke place they wanted to go to. Oh, Mother. Your timing is impeccable."

I remained silent, pondering what it was that I could do. Walking with her to the convenience store when she already had plans to go somewhere made me feel like I was being baby-sat.

"You know," I posited, "Like I told Mrs. Mori, I could buy both sets of things. You could just give me the money for her supplies and I can take everything back. Why make two trips when you don't even need to make any at all?"

Yui-san looked down at me skeptically. She had the same expression when we first met. What kind of friends did Taiyou bring usually that made her doubt everything I said?

She looked down at her feet as we walked, considering my offer. Her hair blocked her face. I took the time to listen to the life around me. This neighborhood had more couples than families like Yui-san's. I watched an old couple holding hands as they walked up the slanted road.

After a moment of consideration, Yui-san shook her head, "Thanks, but I don't want to take advantage of you or get reprimanded about it later. Let's just get what we need to get and be done with it. I can just tell my friends I'll be late." She took out her phone and sent a message. "There. All done."

I smiled, "Fine, we'll have it your way."

We arrived to the store and picked out the few ingredients her mother wanted. As we walked out, I took one of the bags from her hand. My fingers brushed hers slightly. Before I could apologize, she gasped, pulling her hand away.

I frowned quizzically, "Yui-san?"

She paused, then scratched the back of her head, "Ah, I didn't mean to do that. I'm just not used to physical contact."

I nodded slowly, "I see."

We make our way to her house in a semi-silence, each one of us trying to start a conversation to no avail.

A few minutes before reaching her house, I finally managed to form a sentence.

"So, are you meeting someone special today?"

She jumped at the implications of my words, "What do you mean?"

I shrugged, "Well, I just thought that since you were all dressed up, you might be meeting a boy you liked or something."

She shook her head vehemently, "There's no such person! I don't like anyone like that!"

Noticing how flustered she became in a matter of seconds, I raised my hands for peace, "Alright, alright. I believe you. You're just in the habit of looking nice no matter the occasion, then."

Her cheeks reddened at my nonchalant comment. I wondered if I should have thought that out more clearly before saying it.

A silence surrounded us momentarily.

Her voice broke the awkwardness.

"I know I already told you before, but thanks for the offer. That was very thoughtful of you."

I looked up. She smiled bashfully, a redness rising to her cheeks, her hair swaying in the summer breeze. In that moment, I realized how nice the color pink was.

"My pleasure." I answered, "I wouldn't have liked it if my parents did that to me either."

We arrived to the house and emptied the bags. Once we were finished, Yui-san sat on the floor again and slipped on her shoes.

"Well, then. This time, I'm off for real!" She opened the door.

"Have a safe trip!" Her mother called from the kitchen.

Yui-san's eyes flickered to mine, but quickly focused forward again as she closed the front door, taking with her the faint scent of lilies.

* * *

I saw her a month later.

This time, Taiyou invited me over for dinner with his family since my parents were going on a business trip. Usually, it was just my father that needed to go, but Mother decided that she'd accompany him on this one. They would return at around one in the morning.

I entered the house around midday on Sunday again with a single bag that carried my uniform for Monday and some articles for personal hygiene.

Yui-san was nowhere to be found and I didn't bother asking. Taiyou told me I'd stay in the guest room that was in between Yui-san's and his room. He said all three of us would share the bathroom. I nodded and set my stuff down in the traditional Japanese room. I pulled out my uniform so it wouldn't wrinkle, lying on the ground. I walked toward the window. It had a view to the front of the house and the small street. As I sat there and basked in the silence of a foreign room, I noticed Yui-san walking up to the house with two other friends. They were each wearing distinct articles of clothing. One of her friends had her hair picked up in a ponytail and wore Capri pants with a short-sleeved shirt. She swung her arms around as she talked, demonstrating something. She seemed the sportiest of the three. The other girl held her hair back in a braid, wearing a long, plain, white dress. She covered her mouth as she chuckled at her friend's antics, adjusting her glasses. Although nerdy, there was an innocence to her that made her seem sweet. Yui-san was the only one that kept her hair down. I liked the way the light shone through the strands, bringing out other shades of brown, such as gold or honey. She wore a jean skirt that fell above her knees, white flats, and melon-colored top that covered her shoulders with a thin fabric. It was a bit sensual for my taste, even though she was fully clothed. I wondered where they were coming from.

I waited in the room, hearing them talking inside the house. It was ironic how silent this place was without Yui-san's presence. Her parents and Taiyou weren't enough to make it feel like a home.

The girls came up the stairs; one of Yui-san's friends was talking about an actor from a movie they just watched.

"He looked his _best_ in this one, out of all the movies he's filmed." Judging from the rough intonation of her voice, I assumed the speaker was Ponytail.

"I thought he looked fine in his other films." The response was barely audible. I took the voice to be Braid's.

"I didn't really think much of him. He looked normal. I wish they had made him more mysterious. I felt like we knew what was going to happen throughout the whole movie."

I smiled. That comment sounded like Yui-san's voice. It amused me to learn that she was so analytical in reference to movies.

"You say the same thing about every guy you meet!" Ponytail exclaimed. "Last month when we went to the goukon, you ended up leaving early. That Shin guy was totally into you!"

Yui-san sighed, "I couldn't believe you set me up on that. We're only fourteen, Aya. There's no need to rush. Besides, you said it was only going to be the three of us. You never mentioned anyone else."

I think back to Yui-san's reaction when I had asked whom she was going to meet. It turned out she wasn't lying. Judging on how attractive Yui-san had looked, Aya wasn't exaggerating about the "Shin" guy, either.

"Well, that's because I knew you wouldn't have gone." Aya retorted. "You nor Nina will ever find anyone if I don't help you."

"That's not true, Aya-chan." Nina's timid voice muttered.

They approached my room, passing by the door I left ajar.

"Whatever, Aya. Wait in my room, you guys." Yui-san said, "I'll go make some snacks and bring some drinks over."

"You'll thank me later." Aya called out.

Yui-san passed by my room again and noticed the door was semi-open.

She took a step inside, "Taiyou, why do you always forget?"

I cleared my throat before she locked me in.

Startled, she looked up in surprise, "Haruka! You're here! Ah, I mean, Haruka-kun or what should I call you? Haru-chin?"

I laughed at her last attempt, "Please, not that. Just Haruka is fine. I'm younger than you, anyways. There's no need to be formal, Yui-san."

She nodded jaggedly. "Alright then, Haruka. Are you here for another project?"

"No, my parents are going on a trip. They won't be back until one tonight, so Taiyou invited me to stay here until tomorrow."

She nodded, "That's alright, I suppose."

"You suppose?"

She shook her head quickly, "I mean, it's not my problem. It's just that…never mind. Forget I said anything."

She stepped away from the door, leaving her hand on the knob and paused.

"You didn't, by any chance, listen in on our conversation, did you?"

I raised my eyebrows. What did it matter that I listened?

"Did you not want me to?" I questioned, a smile playing on my lips.

A blush settled on her cheeks, "Well, I would have preferred that you didn't. That _no one_ did. Not just you."

I chuckled, "Not just me. I'm no one special."

"Exactly." She frowned. It seemed she knew I was teasing her.

"Alright. I heard nothing." I stuck my hands in my pockets. "Anything you want, Yui-san."

Her blush didn't recede even when she closed the door and made her way downstairs.

I sighed, putting a hand on my face. The implications of her involuntary blush both amused as much as flattered me. I had grown accustomed to that reaction from girls in my school. Since I didn't often interact with older women, Yui-san's reaction was refreshing. My interest was piqued and with every meeting, I wanted to expose just how much that face would react to my presence.

It could be that she was simply timid around boys, in general. But something told me that wasn't the only thing.

I went over to Taiyou's room, waiting to see what he had in mind to do today.

"All settled?" He asked.

I nodded, "Are your sister's friends staying here too?"

He shook his head, "No. They're leaving in a few hours. I especially want that Aya girl to leave. She's so noisy. I don't mind Nina-neesan, though."

I chuckled, "So she's Nina-neesan and the other one is just Aya."

Taiyou understood what I was implying and told me to shut up.

"So you like the quiet ones, don't you? Older ones, too."

"Didn't I tell you to shut up? She's my sister's friend. You know I can't do anything about that."

I nodded with a smirk, "Yeah. I know."

"Anyway, want to play a video game? I got the new Kingdom Hearts game and I wanted to try it out."

"But that's single player." I commented.

"So, then just watch me."

I shook my head, "Boring."

He swept a hand through the air in a circular motion toward his messy room, "Well, there's plenty to go around. Choose what you want to do."

I frowned as I looked through his manga, noting he read _Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle_, a manga I enjoyed, and scolded him. "You're not a very good host. Your sister's making snacks and drinks for her friends. You haven't even offered me a measly cracker."

He had already started the game, his attention fully on the TV screen.

"You're free to get whatever you want." He muttered, "You don't need me to be a host. I'm a guy. I don't care about these things."

I sighed, "It has nothing to do with being a guy, but whatever. I'll go get something to eat then. Do you want anything?"

Taiyou was too far-gone into the game to answer me now.

I left him to his wares and made my way downstairs to the kitchen.

Yui-san had her back to me as she made something that smelled delicious. She had picked up her hair with a large clip, exposing the nape of her neck. Up close, I got a better look at just how translucent the shirt was from the shoulders. My eyes trailed to her legs—my stomach growled.

Yui-san turned around at the sound. "Ha, did the smell get to you?"

She chuckled as my stomach continued its cry.

"Yes." I answered.

"Well, you came just in time. I'm making octopus sausages. Want to try one?"

I walked closer to her, not even thinking of denying her offer.

She stuck a toothpick through a sausage straight from the pan and handed it to me.

"Careful. It's hot."

I blew on it for a minute and popped it into my mouth. The flavor spread to my taste buds, pleasantly satisfying my aching palette.

"Delicious." I mumbled with a full mouth.

Yui-san laughed, "It can't be that good. I just did what everyone else does."

I leaned next to her, putting my hand on her waist slightly to balance as I stuck another sausage and stepped back, leaning against the counter again. I blew on it and popped it in.

Yui-san kept her gaze on the food, her body tense.

"It doesn't taste how everyone else makes it. I like Yui-san's more." I continued.

Yui-san's face flushed beet red. I tried to hold back a chuckle.

She didn't look up at me when she finished cooking, putting the food and drinks on a tray.

"Need any help taking that up?" I offered.

"No, I've got it." She answered curtly.

I got in her way and held the tray from the other side, "I can help. You might spill it."

Yui-san frowned at me, moving the tray to the side and walked past me. She paused at the foot of the stairs.

"I appreciate that you liked my food, but please, don't touch me like that again."

I widened my eyes, frozen, as she walked up the stairs and disappeared past her bedroom door.

I stared at the hand that touched her and clenched it. Resistance was something I wasn't used to. Granted, I hadn't tried wooing an older girl, but this kind of response was forward, blunt. She wasn't someone that I could easily expose. I walked up the stairs to Taiyou's room and sat down next to him, my mind thinking about how I should change my strategy.

"Get me anything?" Taiyou asked.

"I thought you said you weren't hungry."

"I was busy. So, did you?"

"Your sister was making octopus sausages. I ate two."

"Damn! That's one of her good points. Are there any more?"

I pointed to her room, "They're for her friends."

Taiyou stood up and left me in the room.

I watched the screen. He paused on a cut-scene. From the hallway, I heard how Yui-san complained that he was taking too many. Aya got mad at him, too. Nina didn't say a word.

Taiyou returned triumphant, three sausages in his mouth and two more in his hands. He handed me one, chewing through his with difficulty. He sat down on the tatami and pulled a water bottle from the bottom of his bed, taking huge gulps.

"That hit the spot." He sighed, grabbing the controller with his greasy hands and resuming his game. "That'll keep me satisfied for a bit until Mom makes dinner."

I nodded in silence, my mind still attempting to come up with a means by which I could expose Yui-san's true nature. In spite of the large time gap since our last meeting, I thought I had assessed her personality correctly. As it turned out, she's more reserved than I thought. Although I wanted to discover everything about her, I also wished that she maintained her elusive nature. In doing so, she would perpetuate my search for the truth, something that no one had accomplished and that I knew I'd enjoy.

I picked up the first volume of _Tsubasa_ and lied down on Taiyou's bed while he played.

At school, Taiyou was more interactive that at home. Once he was in his comfort zone, it was as if his whole world was made up of himself and no one else. I read the book until my eyes grew heavy.

…

When I came to, the lights from his room were off and it was dark outside. I stood up cautiously, finding the silence in the house to be disorienting. I heard the murmuring of voices and followed the noise downstairs. As I approached the source, I realized that I didn't understand the language.

"Taiyou?" I called out.

I stopped behind a couch in the living room, staring at the television that was showing a Western film. Yui-san was the only one watching the movie.

"Oh, you're finally up?"

"How long was I out?" I asked, looking around the room. Everything was dark and there wasn't a soul in sight other than Yui-san.

"It's eight right now. You fell asleep at around one."

I put a hand to my mouth in surprise, "Wow, I can't believe I did that. I'm so sorry. Mrs. Mori made dinner, too."

Yui-san stood up. "That's not a problem. She left your food over here." She walked over to the table and handed me a plate with plastic over it. "She didn't forget about you. You must have been exhausted to sleep that long. Taiyou went over to wake you up, but he said you looked so tired that he didn't want to."

I rubbed my eyes with one hand, holding the plate with the other. "I can't tell your family how sorry I am. I'll eat this right now. Is it alright if I sit here?"

Yui-san nodded and turned on the light. She sat on the other side of the couch, leaning on the armrest and watched the movie.

I stared at her, "You're not going to leave?"

"You want me to?"

I almost dropped my food, "No! I mean, you don't have to accompany me while I eat."

She laughed, "I don't enjoy eating by myself. I imagine others don't either. Let me get you something to drink before you choke. I'll be right back."

She stood up and brought back a cup of water that she rested on the coffee table.

"There you are."

"Thanks, Yui-san."

"Don't worry about it."

As she sat down, a soft pulse of air swept through the room, picking up the scent of lilies.

I swallowed my food with ease as I drank the water. As I ate, I thought back to when I placed my hand on her hip. I closed my eyes at the memory, regretting it.

"Yui-san. I apologize for what I did earlier."

She placed a stand of hair behind her ear, "What for?"

I finished what was on the plate and took the final gulp from the cup. I set it down gently, wiping my mouth with my sleeve.

"Oh, I forgot a napkin." She sighed.

"That's okay." I assured, "When I touched you. That's what I'm talking about. I'm sorry about that. I'm not use to…handling women. As you might know, I'm an only child so, I have no knowledge on sibling relationships at all, of either kind."

Yui-san nodded pensively, "You're forgiven. Although, I don't know how much of a sister I can be to you. I don't want to have two brothers." She chuckled at the thought. "I have enough with just one."

I smiled, "Speaking of brothers, where's Taiyou?"

"He's shopping for ingredients for tomorrow's breakfast. Since you were over, Mom used a lot of our food."

I sunk my head into my hands in shame, "I can't apologize enough for sleeping so long. That was just plain rude of me."

Yui-san placed a tentative hand on my shoulder, "You shouldn't beat yourself over it. I know Mother didn't mind. She knew you were tired. We don't know what you're up to all the time, so we don't judge. Really, don't worry about it."

I looked at her face, processing things about it that I hadn't noticed before. Her eyes were a lighter brown than usual among Japanese people as well as her hair. She had long eyelashes that went up, not straight down. Her skin was free of blemishes and pleasantly symmetrical. I wondered how I hadn't noticed how doll-like she appeared until now. She begot a warm complexion and sat back on the couch.

I realized that perhaps I was staring at her for too long.

As I was about to say something, Yui-san interrupted me.

"I find it odd that I should speak to one of my brother's friends this much. Usually, they just ignore me."

I focused on her face as she spoke. "They were just immature."

She laughed, "And you're not?"

I smirked playfully, "Of course not!"

"Right, right." She commented, "You're not in elementary school or anything."

"My social status doesn't equate to my mental standing. Are we not having a conversation right now?"

Yui-san finished a chuckle and analyzed me, "I suppose so. You might just be an idiot savant."

I ran a hand through my hair while she laughed.

"That was a joke. A joke."

I nodded, "Yeah, not that I'd mind being a genius, in the end."

"Would you rather be a genius and socially inept or normal and maybe not be awkward with others?" She asked.

I considered the question, "Well, I value intelligence very highly but if isolation is the price I have to pay for it, I'd rather work hard to be intelligent than already have it and be blind to people that care for me."

Yui-san nodded in approval, "That's a good answer. I can't say that I'd agree with you, though."

I raised an eyebrow, "No? You'd choose intelligence over sociability?"

She leaned back on the couch and looked at the ceiling, "Sometimes, I think that it would be better to not understand the world the way it is and simply to see it through the eyes of a child forever. That's the way I see a savant. I think that children are precious beings in this world and to be able to remain as one and to have the intelligence that far surpasses that of any adult, but still manage to maintain that innocence to the world is something astonishing. I wouldn't feel isolation because I never understood sociability. Therefore, I think that I wouldn't need anything but my intelligence. If I understood the world and the way it works, I think I'd be content."

I contemplated her point, a feeling of loneliness washing over me.

"While I respect what you said, I can't help but feel like it would lead you to an empty life thinking that way. To see the world as a child would _is_ something beautiful. But that would also be deluding yourself from reality. Would you rather stay in an illusion than live in reality? Wouldn't that be awfully lonely?"

Yui-san took a moment to answer, "I wouldn't know any better."

I stayed silent, staring at a fixed point on the coffee table.

"Did that stump you that much?" She chuckled.

I smiled, "Yeah. It kind of did. I was just thinking that you'd always be an observer not a participant if you lived that kind of life. It depends which one you prefer, I suppose. You like to watch, whereas I like to partake. I suppose they each have their benefits and sacrifices. For me, I'd only have hindsight and immediate foresight. For you, you'd see the world completely unbiased, untouched by anything. Your wisdom would be endless. It's as if you are out of time, completely free from anything that could tie you down."

Yui-san regarded me pensively, "That makes it sound like I'd be something from out of this world. So many others would see that as imprisonment of the mind. I'd be here, but not."

I nodded, "That's only because we have others to use as comparison. Since you would be unique, like you said, you wouldn't know the difference."

Yui-san laughed openly for the first time. I felt like she dropped her guard completely.

"How on earth did we get to talking about observing versus partaking in life from immaturity?"

I joined her in laugher, "I don't know! I guess we just haven't found anyone that's thought about this."

When her laughter died down, she looked over to the screen, "Oh, I completely forgot I had the movie on. I should turn it off if we aren't watching it."

I nodded, "Yeah, this conversation is much more interesting."

Yui-san smiled, looking at me in a way that made me restless.

"Like I mentioned earlier, I don't think I've ever talked to one of my brother's friends. Actually, I haven't spoken to _my_ friends about this either. Isn't that weird?"

"I'm glad that I became Taiyou's friend, then."

"Why?"

"So I could meet you."

Yui-san's smile fell quickly. She looked at her watch and stood up. "I've got to go do homework."

Startled by her abruptness, it took me a split second to process what just happened and what I just said. "Yui-san, wait."

As I made the effort to follow her up the stairs, Taiyou and his mother opened the front door, their hands filled with plastic bags.

She disappeared when I turned back to look, hearing the door to her bedroom close.

"Hey, you're awake?" Taiyou greeted, "You sleep like a rock, man. I couldn't get you to open your eyes!"

Mrs. Mori came over and fixed my hair. "Oh, dear. You must have been sleeping so soundly. Your hair's everywhere."

I quickly ruffled it back into place. Had it been like that since I woke up? I felt the heat from my body go to my face.

"Haruka, it's alright." Mrs. Mori consoled, "We're all family here."

I nodded regretfully. Suddenly, the concept of family didn't seem as appealing to me.

"Let me help you with these." I took her grocery bags and placed them on the kitchen counter, removing the articles from the inside.

After we were through, I walked upstairs to my room, contemplating when I should take a bath. I suspected that Yui-san already took hers in an effort not to see me until she calmed down.

I decided to take one to rid myself of any worries that could have accumulated in the past minutes. As I bathed, I rubbed my face with the hot herbal water until I was satisfied that tomorrow would be a new day. I rinsed off the minerals with the showerhead, applied shampoo, more rinsing, and stepped out of the shower. I dried myself somewhat and put on a t-shirt and comfortable pants.

As I opened the secondary door that lead out of the bath area, Yui-san stepped into the sink area. She jumped when she saw me.

"Haruka! Why are you in here?"

I rubbed my wet hair with my towel, "Just got out of the bath. It's open now."

I walked past her, giving her more time if she needed any. She seemed to not want to see me.

"Your hair." She muttered. "You'll get a cold if you leave it like that."

I frowned in confusion, "I sleep like this all the time. Don't worry about it." I took a step toward the door.

"Haruka, wait."

I paused with my hand on the handle.

"Let me dry it for you. As an apology for before."

I took a deep breath and sighed, releasing the handle, and walked over to her.

She turned on the dryer and ran her hands through my hair. Her touch made my head feel numb. I realized I was extremely conscious of everything she did, even with the noise of the dryer, I could hear her subtle humming. Whenever she touched my neck, goose bumps spread through my arms like lightning. I made sure to pull down on my t-shirt sleeves so she wouldn't see.

"All done." She said as she turned off the dryer. "Have a good night, Haruka."

I nodded, too numb for words.

I stepped out of the bathroom, thankful that my futon was already laid on the floor and fell onto it. Although I wasn't sleepy at all, I laid my head back on the pillow and listened to the sound of the water rushing behind the wall. It didn't help me at all that the bathroom and her room were right next to the guest room.

Ironically enough, the sounds of her movement ended up lulling me to sleep again. I turned on the futon to my side, catching a whiff of lilies. I sat up quickly, frightened that I was hallucinating the smell. Then I reached for my hair and understood I'd applied her shampoo instead of Taiyou's.

I sank back into my futon, closing my eyes, and looking forward to discovering more of Yui-san another day.

* * *

_A/N:_

_First chapter is kind of over a span of time. Their relationship will develop naturally, unlike in the oneshot where it was speedy since, they both had already had been harboring feelings for each other. I'll be taking it at a moderate, believable pace, but still maintain that forbidden aspect that the oneshot had. Hope you guys read the next one!_

_As soon as I get a review, I'll write the next chapter!_

**_SL_**


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